Formula - Modesto, CA

I breast fed both of my children, one till he was 1 1/2 and my daughter until she was 2. I also pumped when I went back to work and they used a bottle.
I supplemented along the way with soy milk. Both of them took to it quick and didn't develop allergies like a lot of kids do to cow milk. I never used formula, thank goodness. Sippy cups were hard for my kids. Hope that helps a little.

It's perfectly fine to go straight from breast milk to whole milk. There is no need whatsoever to give her formula unless you choose too. Most doctors will tell you that she can have whole milk starting at age one, so kudos to you if you breast feed until then! Best of luck!

Hi L.,
I went straight from nursing to a sippy cup. Unfortunately the baby sitter and his father gave him cow's milk in the sippy cup and it caused ear infections. Other than that he did fine. I did nurse him for about 2 years. My advice would be to nurse as long as possible and don't put dairy in the sippy cup if you have any milk allergies in your family.
D.

L., I breastfed both of my children and never gave them a drop of formula. I did, however, nurse both of them through their first birthday. I think the rule of thumb is to avoid whole milk with babies until they are one year old. If you breastfeed until then, though, introducing a sippy cup of milk into their diet shouldn't be a huge problem. By then, they will already be eating other solid foods anyway.

Congrats on your new baby!

As long as you nurse your child until he or she is at least a year old, you can skip straight to cow's milk. Although, my first son ended up being allergic to cow's milk, and wouldn't drink any of the milk substitutes I tried. He ended up not drinking anything but water and herbal tea for about a year (now he's drinking 6-8 ounces of rice milk a day, but even that is not necessary- he sees us drinking real milk and wants some, so he gets his "special milk").

Doctors today are even recommending that the amount of milk children drink is limited to 24 ounces a day, as drinking too much milk can block the absorption of iron and lead to anemia. As long as you feed your child a healthy diet, they don't need formula or milk after they reach a year old.

It really depends on how long you BF. Both my daughters quite after 10mo and so I put them on formula for about a month. Breast Milk has more nurtients than any formula out there so if you make it to around a year there is nothing wrong with going straight to milk. The formula that I used was Neosure. The pharmacist recommended it. Apparently it's sweeter and reasembles more of the taste of breast milk. My second daughter hardly took a bottle and did mainly sippy cups from 6 mo on, her care provider just put the breast milk in the cup, it worked great for us.

Good Luck!

The advice I was given was to try not to use any formula during infancy and give breast milk. So I set a goal for 3 months, then 4 months, then 6 months, til I weaned her at 14 months. She never had an ounce of formula. My daughter is now 4 and very healthly. Formula is not bad just the most nutrition for your baby is going to come from your breast milk. It also doesn't cost anything.

Hi I breastfed my daughter for the first year and gave her whole milk in a sippy cup after she turned one years old. I used a breast pump anytime I missed a feeding and froze it and my husband warmed the milk and gave her a bottle when I was away from the house. (I have heard that it is important for Mommy to not be the one to give the baby a bottle because it may confuse the baby) Who is your pediatrician? We go to Fresno Children's Medical Group if you are looking. Good luck. Do you know the gender of your baby?? :)

Dear L.,
Congratulations on your baby!
Honey, I hate to say this....
But you won't know exactly what will work for your baby until it gets here.
Nursing your baby is the best and most wonderful thing, in my opinion. I nursed both my children. Your breasts may get quite sore in the beginning, but I still found it to be very enjoyable.
When your baby gets here, you will get things figured out. Some babies can have regular formula, some need a soy version. Both my children went to cow's milk with no problems, but other children may have an allergy or not be able to digest it easily. Every child is different.
You can introduce sippy cups fairly early on. My son had one with handles on each side that I kept, empty, in his crib and in the playpen. He held it, shook it, chewed on it, sucked on it, played with it. It was a great diversion when I was changing him. Then I started putting a little water or juice in it when he was sitting in my lap or in the high chair. We took turns having a drink. They get the hang of it.

Well, you take care. You will be a wonderful mommy!
Be sure to let us know when your baby arrives.

Blessings!

Hi:
My second son was breast fed until he was one and then went straight to sippy cup/ whole milk. He is an extremely healthy and happy five year old now.

Enjoy your pregnancy and first child!

It is perfectly ok to go from breast milk to whole milk at one year. You might have a month or two when she is a year of doing both until she gets use to cows milk. So be perpard for that. Also don't rule formula out all together. I had planned on breast feeding my son<now 8 months old, until he was year when about a month ago he refused to take the breast during the day. He was to into everything going on around him. ANd yes i tryed the quiet room, a nursing cover, and every other trick there is. He just weened himself whether i liked it or not. He just last night refused to nurse at night so now we are on formula. So just be open to the idea in the back of your head that you may have to for a few weeks or months.

A.

hi L.,

i'am currently taking nutrition classes towards a nutrition degree and the rule of thumb is no cows milk until after 1 year old. So it really depends on when you will be weaning... if it is at or after a year than it is definately safe... if you wean before a year, then go to formula... hope this helps :)
C.

There can be a lot of problems for your baby if you introduce cow's milk too early. You should talk to your baby's pediatrician and absolutely do not introduce any foods or drinks until the baby is 6 months old. Ther are a ton of good books - I love my copy of "The Pediatrician's Handbook" I got it at Babies R Us and it covers birth to 5 years behavior - development - diet & nutrition - illness - what to expect at each check-up etc. It's the only book I read anymore ( too tired )
It's the size of a phonebook - even in paperback - you can't miss it!

I breastfed both my kids (now ages 4 yrs old and 2 yrs old. Both self-weaned (daughter at 15 months, son at 18 months) and they NEVER had formula.... ever. If you're breastfeeding and until they're a year or older there's no need to give them formula. When both kids hit their first birthday I started giving them whole milk in a sippy cup. Neither liked it but they would drink the 2% cow's milk so that's what I gave them.

L.~ as long as you plan to breastfeed for a year, it shouldn't be a problem. Babies under 12 months shouldn't rely on cow's milk alone because it doesn't have the fat, calories or nutrients (in particular, iron) that is found in breast milk and formula. So, if for some reason you stop breastfeeding before 12 months, then you'll want to suppliment with formula until your child is old enough to have regular milk.

But this is definitly a question for your pedi, when the time comes.

Good luck!

I breastfed both kids. One until he was 20 months, the other until 13 months. Both went straight to milk, with no formula. There is no reason to use formula if you are breastfeeding for a full year.

Hi L.. I breastfed both of my kids until they were 14 & 16 mos. old. The Dr.s say that babies can start whole milk when they are a year old so as long as you can breastfeed until then you'll be ok. I worked with my first so I pumped and my hubby gave him a bottle until he was ready for a sippy w/ milk. My second never had a bottle - went straight to sippy - a little bit harder but she was ok w/ it after she was weaned. I think the trick of it is start giving your baby a sippy as soon as possible maybe around 5-6 mos old -- as soon as your daughter can hold it!!-Try nubi sippys, they have a nipple type top. Good luck and congratulations in advance!!

Hi, L.;
With my daughter we went from breast feeding to regular cup in about 2 days when she was 9 mo. old. So whatever you and your baby want to do is good. As far as nutrition, just use healthy food! We were working on a ranch at the time and my husband brought home the fresh organic milk from "Zelda" the cow. You can buy organic milk, or if you folks don't drink milk, switch her to whatever you drink. The main thing is to do what you and your baby prefer. My daughter just decided at the breakfast table she wanted what the rest of us were having, so she really had "input" for this decision. Some kids prefer something else, and they let you know what they like and don't like as you try different things. In other words, you may plan and hope to do something now, but really you are not the only one that will have an opinion when the time comes. :) Each kid and each mom is different. Don't worry. J.

If you are planning on breast feeding for the whole first year then from what I have been told and read there is absolutely no problem with skipping formula, or even a bottle altogether. If you are going to pump then obviously the bottle will be necessary, but the formula really isn't. We did use formula intermittently the first year when I couldn't be there and didnt have enough milk pumped, but once my daughter was a year we went to milk and nursing only, no formula (and rarely if ever bottles). So I can't imagine it being a problem. I'm sure most pro breastfeeding info would tell you the same thing. I found you just have to be wary of companies and even doctors who sometimes are a little over zealous on the need for formula.

As long as you're willing to breastfeed for an entire year you'll be fine. There is NOTHING in formula that is necessary for a baby and don't let your doctor bully you in to giving it to her. We're instructed to not give our children sugar when they are babies, but yet give them formula with high fructose corn syrup??? How does THAT make sense?!?!?
Your baby will thank you for breastfeeding for a full year, but just remember that they often cannot digest lactose in the first year of life and are more likely to develop and allergy if you present it before then.